The Orange Caps opened the batting on a sun-baked Haydon’s Road, with Dan Sherman and Tom Birch immediately put under pressure from some tight bowling.
They found it tough to churn out the runs but succeeded in seeing off the opening bowlers and had just started to up the tempo when Birch fell for 32 with the score on 65.
Shaminda de Silva was next in but lasted just two balls, trapped LBW for one and The Road’s innings began to curdle as Sherman fell soon after for 22, leaving the score 72-3.
But Matt Andrews and David Hughes put together a useful partnership of 42 – the Welshman milking the singles while Mandy creamed the boundaries, including a beautiful cut for four after being offered unsolicited batting tips by a particularly chatty Butterlord.
With time pressing on and Hughes frustrated at not being able to connect with his mows to Cow Corner, he attempted one wild swing too many and was clean bowled for eight, with the Road now 114-4.
Jamie Keating joined Mandy in the middle and the pair added another 21 before the Skipper was caught for four.
Oscar Newlove beamed down to partner Mandy but the big-hitting pair were unable to stay together long as Andrews was bowled for 44 off 43 balls, including five fours and two sixes.
New man Rich Bibby fell for a two-bail duck but Newlove picked up where Mandy had left off, blasting 25 off 16, with three fours and a six.
The late onslaught on the Butterlords’ bowlers continued with James Mahony at the crease.
The Admiral ordered a 22-run final-over broadside as he smashed back-to-back sixes, followed by a pair of fours and then a two to finish on 28 not out.
In the middle of all that biffing the Australian Admiral also politely pointed out that the previously garulous opposition had gone a bit quiet – an observation which earned him the Champagne moment award.
The Road’s 189 off 36 looked a solid total, particularly when Chris Brown struck in his first over.
But after the initial setback the Butterlords’ batsmen kept scoring and it required sensational cricket to break through – a fantastic pick-up-and-throw run out from Super-Mandy got rid of their number three Holmes for 22.
Bibby (1-32 off seven) clean bowled their number four for a duck and took a superb, steepling catch off de Silva to get rid of opener James for 54.
A viciously moving delivery from Newlove (1-20 off seven) cleaned up Vish for 19 and de Silva (2-53 off seven) picked up a second – a smart stumping by Sherman, aided by the batsman grounding his bat the wrong side of the line.
But with the setting sun giving a sense of urgency to proceedings, the Butterlords’ batsmen targeted spinner Michael Rossi, whose three overs went for 28 and left-armer Mahony, whose solitary over went for 12 before finally ruining Brown’s figures (1-39 off 5.3) with three consecutive fours to wrap up the win.
The ex-skipper’s mood was not improved by picking up the tantrum award, just for being there.
Rossi picked up embarrassing moment for a spectacularly static piece of fielding (he claimed he didn’t see the ball, which the rest of us all watched go straight past him).
Newlove won Man of the Match for his all-round performance.
FULL SCORECARD: http://kingsroadcsc.play-cricket.com/website/results/4467464